Tobacco curing and yellowing pan.



,1. H. ASHBURN.

r TOBACCO CURING AND YIELLMNING'PAN.4 APPLlcATloN FILED'MAR. n. ma.

1,1 34,805 Patented Apr. 6, 1915.

34a/vanto@ THE NuumS PE7ER5 Cn..PHorOALl1H0., WASHINGTON, u u

JOHN H. AsHBURN, F Animar, NORTH CAROLINA.

TOBACCO CURIG AND YKELLOWIN G PAN. i

To all whom it may concern.'`

`Be it known that I, Jol-IN H.' AsHBURN, a

Y citizen of the United States, residing at Ararat, in the county of Surry ,and State of North Carolina, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in lIobacco Curing and Yellow-ing Pans, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a tobacco curing and yellowing pan, particularly designed' for use in tobacco curing furnaces or kilns customarily usingdry heat for the purpose of evaporating moisture to cure and yellow the tobacco. Y

The object of the invention is to provide an evaporating pan which may be supported upon the ordinary iiues, whereby -moisture may be supplied to yellow the'tobacco in a ready and convenient manner, thus obviating the necessity of employing a steam plant for the purpose.

The invention consists of the features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional planV view of a tobacco drying vfurnace or kiln, illustrating the mode of use of the invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the pan. Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross sectional view through the pan and a flue. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through the pan.

Referring to the drawing, l designates a tobacco curing barn or kiln, 2 the door thereof, 3 the usual heating flues arranged within the kiln and leading to a smoke stack (not shown) and 4 the lire places or furnaces by which heat is supplied to the iues. These iiues are customarily made of soft piping or other suitable tubing or piping, and transmit heat whereby the interior of the barn or kiln is maintained at a determined curing temperature.

' The object of my invention is to provide an evaporating pan, a desired number of i which may be used upon the flues and heated therefrom, whereby the interior of the barn or kiln may be moistened to yellow the tobacco.

As shown, a seriesof the pans 4 may be supported upon each flue. pans is of oblong rectangular form in plan and segmentally curved in cross section, having an upper convex surface 5 and a lower concaved surface 6. The surface 6 of Specification of Letters Patent.

. application flied Maman, 1913.

Each of these serial No. 753,548.

'union Patented Apr. 6, 1,915.

the pan is of such formas to accommodate thetop portion of a flue 3 and adapt t'he pan to seat and be supported thereon with- :out the use of other fastening means. The `pan is provided in its top withalongitudinal slot or opening 7 for the discharge of thegenerated'steam or vapor. In practice the pan may be constructed of sheet metal or otherv suitable material and maybe made of vany desired water containing capacity.

In use, a desired number of the pans are partially filled with water and supported at desired intervals alongthe flues 3. The heat from these flues is taken up by the pans and transmitted to the water therein, which is thus generated into steam or vapor, which fills the drying barn or kiln uniformly, whereby in the course of a greater or less period of time, depending upon the character of the tobacco, the latter will be yellowed. After the tobacco is properly yellowed, the pans are removed from the drying barn or kiln, and the ordinary `drying or curing process continued until the tobacco is cured.

VIt will be obvious that by the use of my improved evaporating pans, barns or kilns equipped for ordinary dry curing maybe It will be observed that by making the pan i crescent-shape in cross section and curving the top of the pan on a somewhat greater arc than thepan bottom, a pan of shallow depth throughout is provided which will not admit of the reception of a volumeof water of any great depth or of any greater amount than can be vaporized at a predetermined temperature within a given time. In other words, the pan itself gages the maximum depth of the water which may be contained therein for an efficient action, without the necessity of providing overflow vdevices or other means for guarding against the supply of too much water, an objection present in some forms of pans. Furthermore, the construction described provides a pan in .which the end walls are curved at their eX- tremities .so that the top and bottom walls are connected by curved portions at their points of junction, thus avoiding the formation of angles at these points. Hence the pan may be readily washed out or a cleansing element readily introduced into the shallow side pockets for the removal of any sediment which may be deposited therein,

whereby avoiding sharp bends or angles at the points stated the metal may be shaped without breaking its protective coating and exposing the body of the inetal to agencies which cause rust or deterioration. I claim As a new and improved article of manufacture, a tobacco curing pan comprising a body of substantially crescent forni segmentally in cross section, said body consisting of a curved bottom and segrnentally curved top walls, said top walls being integral with and curved on an are of greater radins than the curved bottom and having their free longitudinal edges approximating to pro- Vide a inedial longitudinally extending slot at the top of said body, and segmental end walls also integral with the bottom wall and having flanges bent inwardly therefrom and- 20 extending beneath and secured to the end edges of the top walls, whereby the pan as a whole is formed from a single piece of inaterial, said bottom and top walls being curved so as to be devoid of sharp angles at their points of juncture.

in testimony whereof l atlix niy signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN H. ASHBURN. VVitnesses W. R. Bonenr'i, O. E. Snow.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

